A USATF sanction is an official designation issued by USATF, through a local Association, which approves and licenses the holding of a competitive track & field, long distance running or race walking event in the United States. The sanction is also a contract, which evidences the event's commitment to follow national and international rules and regulations of the sport and to provide a safe environment for the participants and spectators. Once the event has satisfied the sanction requirements, the event's application for sanction is approved.

Benefits of sanctioning your event:

Increased Prestige - For many events, the USATF sanction improves the event's public perception. A sanction tells athletes that an event is being run according to applicable competition rules. Sanctioned events have the ability to use the USATF event designation logo to promote the fact that the governing body has sanctioned the event.

Liability Insurance - Most governmental entities including cities, counties, state highway departments, parks and community centers require general liability insurance for all events. The cost of a sanction is very inexpensive compared to the prices of most event insurance policies. It is important to know that events that are already insured may choose to waive the insurance coverage and pay a lower sanction fee. More information (PDF)

Sport Accident Insurance for Athletes - Any athlete who is a USATF member and is injured while participating in a sanctioned event will be eligible for secondary medical insurance coverage for the injury. This insurance not only provides valuable coverage to USATF members, but it serves as a valuable deterrent to lawsuits.

Volunteer Event Medical Coverage (optional) - This add-on insurance coverage is available to USATF sanctioned events to provide medical liability coverage for volunteer physicians and all other volunteer healthcare providers providing support to participants, volunteers and spectators during sanctioned events. More information (PDF)

Calendar Promotion - Sanctioned events will be included in the USATF online calendar and be highlighted to distinguish them from non-sanctioned events.

Records - In general, a sanction is required for a record to be set. There are some exceptions to this rule, however.